Jim Bakker Reportedly Will Leave Prison, Move Into Halfway House
Former television evangelist Jim Bakker will leave a federal prison today and move into a halfway house, the Charlotte Observer newspaper reported Thursday.
Bakker, who was convicted in 1989 of stealing millions of dollars from his followers, had not been expected to leave federal prison until September. He has served about 4 1/2 years of an eight-year sentence that was reduced from an original sentence of 18 years.
He and wife Tammy Faye Bakker allegedly spent some $150 million bilked from members of the Praise The Lord club.
The couple also operated Heritage USA, a theme park in South Carolina.
The Bakkers were divorced in 1992, and Tammy Faye Bakker married builder Roe Messner last year.
The Federal Correctional Institution in Jesup, Ga., where Bakker is serving his sentence, refused comment on his release.
“Our policy is that releases or transfers of any inmate are not published information until after the fact,” said Brian Hoyt, executive assistant to the warden. “Many inmates qualify for community corrections placement.”
The newspaper said Bakker, 53, would work at an Asheville, N.C., business during the day and return to the halfway house at night. A smooth tenure there would ensure his release in December.
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